Compassion
by DarkTeddiursa
Summary: When a young wanderer goes on a journey for wisdom and experience, she doesn't know what to expect. She certainly doesn't expect to end up as the challenger of a certain mischievous primate. However, fate moves in mysterious ways, and Zhuo must find some way in order to help the people of a small village get rid of Monkey. But perhaps, it is Monkey who needs the most help...
1. Chapter 1: Wanderer

**Author's Note: Okay, so after re-watching Kung Fu Panda and seeing episode of Legends of Awesomeness and Secrets of the Furious Five, I've been wanting to write a Kung Fu Panda story. However, I don't want to start any seriously long fanfics, as I already have An Ugly Duckling Story and Dark Times. Plus, I have original stories that I need to write too and I have to revise for a couple of exams. So, I came up with this idea for a three or four part story, based around the backstory of my second favorite KFP character, Master Monkey (who needs more fanfics because he is so cute...)  
**

**This is story is tied in to Monkey's adolescence, when he was causing trouble for the villagers and before he met Oogway for the first time. It's the same story as from Secrets of the Furious Five, but is told through the eyes of my OC. It's a little strange as its written in present tense, something I rarely if ever do, so it may seem a bit stilted. Hopefully, I'll be more used to this when I write the second chapter.  
**

**I hope you enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback. ^^  
**

**Chapter 1: Wanderer**

It was midday, and the sky was a frosty shade of blue, completely contradicting the day's warmth.

It had been three or four days since I had left the last village, and I had barely slept since my departure. I knew I couldn't keep up the pace much longer when I was this tired. However, I also knew that it would be unwise to take a rest now. I had been told that bandits roamed these parts, and, while I did know a thing or two about self-defence, there was no way I could fend off a large group of enemies by myself. I had thought about trying to sleep in a tree, so I would be safe from crocodiles, boar or wolves, but if any gorilla bandits found me, I would be helpless.

So I just keep walking, despite the fact I was starting to slow severely. I only hoped there was a village nearby, one that was welcoming of strangers. Most of the villages I had visited these last three or so months had been friendly, with a couple of exceptions, of course. I guess that is to be expected. I mean, if you saw a strange wanderer coming into your village with barely any food supplies, wouldn't you be suspicious? A small part of me wants to turn back and head home, but after travelling this far, it would feel like giving up. I know that no one would judge me if turned back now. I've come much farther than most. However, after hearing my brother's boasting about how far he got last year, I feel determined to prove myself to my family. I've always felt like an outcast among them, among everyone. I want to prove I am strong. I wanted to be respected.

I continue walking, though I can feel myself tiring more and more. The scenery around me almost seems to blur. My eyelids feel heavy.

I stumble, and fall to the ground.

I black out.

* * *

I'm not sure how long it is before I gain consciousness again. When I do, I find I am not lying face down in the dirt in the middle of a forest, but instead lying in a comfortable bed in someone's house. It's a small room. The walls are painted a deep, fiery red which somewhat my eyes. I also noticed that my hat, bag and walking staff have been place on a bedside-table to my right. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, and for my mind to take in my surroundings.

I hear someone enter the room to my left and turn my head. A small rabbit girl is shyly peering through the doorway at me. Our eyes meet for a second before she glances over her shoulder and calls to someone.

"Mom, she's awake!"

I hear footsteps and the girl's mother arrives, a white rabbit with kind eyes. She dressed in a violet dress and holding a bowl of strange green liquid. She smiles at me as she approaches.

"Good. You are awake. We were very worried when we found you passed out," she says softly. She ofters me the bowl. "Drink this. It will make you feel stronger."

I give a nod, carefully taking the bowl. "Thank you," I grunt. I sip the liquid from the bowl. It's a warm liquid with a sweet taste, kind of like peach. I don't know what it is, but I instantly feel much stronger. I return the bowl to the white rabbit. "Thank you," I say again. "I feel much better now."

"I am glad," the white rabbit says. She smiles. "My name is Li-Hua. I am the local healer of this village." She then motions to the rabbit girl, who is still peering at me through the doorway. "And this is my daughter Mei."

I return the smile, and give a little wave to Mei. The little girl backed away nervously, hiding herself behind the door frame.

"I apologise," Li-Hua says quickly. "Mei is very shy. She doesn't speak to anyone besides me."

I wave away her apology. "It's okay. I have a little brother who is the same. Little kids can be like that sometimes." I then give a nod to Li-Hua. "My name is Zhuo."

She smiles, and looks like she is about say something. However, she interrupted when I hear the sound of the front door open, and loud thundering footsteps rushing towards the room. A jittery goose appears, flapping his wings madly.

"Is she awake? Is she awake?" he shouts.

Li-Hua frowns. Her face, once quite soft and kind, now looks quite fierce. "Need I remind you, Wing, this is a place of healing. People come here to rest and regain their strength. So may I kindly ask you do be_ quiet?_" There is sharpness and authority in her last sentence. The goose, Wing, becomes silent instantly. I allow myself to appear impressed.

"I'm sorry, Li-Hua," Wing says, lowering his voice. "I'm just a little excited is all."

"Then please contain your excitement," Li-Hua says, still with that sharp tone. "She is still tired."

It doesn't take me long to figure out that they're talking about me. The goose approaches, scrutinizing me.

"You look a little young," he says.

I frown. "I am fourteen years of age. Where I'm from, that counts as a good age."

He nods quickly. "Er, yes, yes. I'm sure." He's still looking at me. I feel a little self-conscious, and hunch up my shoulders instinctively.

"Look, Mr Wing," Li-Hua says. "You are obviously distressing my patient. Either stop your gawping or leave."

"I-I-I'm sorry," Wing stammers, averting his gaze. "It's just I have never seen a lion in this village before."

I give grunt of irrition. Here we go again. Why to people always make tis mistake? "I'm not a lion," I say, trying to hold back the annoyance in my tone. "The correct term for my species is 'cougar'."

"Oh," Wing blinks at me.

"We are sometimes referred to as 'mountain lions', but we are completely different," I explain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Wing says, bowing to me. "I did not know."

"It's fine," I grunt, but still roll my eyes. "Everyone else I've met on my travels has made the same mistake." The last village I had been to had called me a lion. I remember giving a two hour lecture to a shopkeeper about the differences between lions and cougars. Eventually, he had gotten so sick of me he had given me the food I was about to buy for free.

Wing speaks again. "But you are still quite strong, right?"

I look at him and shrug my shoulders. "Yeah, I guess. Cougars are not as strong as, say, tigers, but we are still quite powerful."

"And you can fight?" Wing asks. "You've had... martial arts training?"

I give a nod. "Yeah, I know some basic kung fu-"

"EXCELLENT!" Wing shouts, jumping up and down.

Li-Hua puts her paws on her hips. "Stop that at once!"

Wing obeys, mumbling apologetically to the healer. Again, I'm impressed by Li-Hua's authority. She may just be a rabbit and healer, but she has the control and leadership of a warrior. I imagine she's well respected within the village. Healers usually are, and she seems to be a pretty good one. Whatever that medicine that she gave me was, it has restored me to complete strength. Perhaps I should ask for the recipe when I leave. It could come in handy on my journey.

"But anyway," Wing say quickly, grabbing my paw with his wing. "We should get going. Everyone is waiting."

"Waiting? For what?" I ask, but he doesn't answer me, just pulls me towards the doorway. I'm surprised at his strength. He seems really agitated about something.

Li-Hua is shouting. "She just woke up. She isn't strong enough yet!"

"Er, it's okay," I say to her. "I'm feel much stronger now." I don't know what is happening but I decide to go along with it. Maybe this is some kind of welcome this village gives to strangers? I quickly grab for my hat and staff, placing my hat on my head and holding my staff in my free hand.

Wing leads me out of the healer's house, Li-Hua following us. Mei watches us leave the house. Li-Hua seems very angry for some reason but Wing doesn't stop dragging me, just keeps on apologising again and again. I quickly shield my eyes from the glare of the sun as we exit. I wonder how long I was asleep for. The sky is now a golden yellow. As I am dragged through the village, I noticed that it is quite a small but pretty place. Trees bearing fully-bloomed cherry blossoms surround us.

A lot of animals watch me as Wing leads me to what I guess is the village square, all of them staring at me. Again, I feel self-conscious and am starting to feel worried. The worry doubles when I see that people are starting to follow me, Wing and Li-Hua. They are muttering amongst themselves.

Have I done something wrong? I've only been in the village for a few minutes. Is WIng taking me to be interrogated? I wonder about fighting back, but there are more of them. None of them seem to be fighters, but I can't take the risk. I then notice that some people are exchanging money with eachother while watching me. I glance at Li-Hua, who is still walking beside me.

"What are they doing?" I ask her, motioning to the money-traders. She glanced at them.

"They are making bets about whether you will win or not," she explains.

I raise an eyebrow. "Win? Win what?"

She looks at me, startled. "Aren't you here to challenge Monkey?"

I stare at her. "What?" Okay. Now I'm confused. What in Mountain Goddess' name is going on?

Her startle turns to horror. "You mean... you're not?"

"No!" I hiss at her, unable to contain my frustration. "I'm not here to challenge anyone. I'm just passing through."

"Oh..." is all she can say. "Well, that's not good. Wing assumed that..." She becomes silent.

I sigh. "Look," I begin. I glance around. Everyone is following us to wherever we're heading, but don't seem to be interested in our conversation. I drop my voice to a whisper. "Could you please explain to me what is going on here?"

Li-Hua looks at me. "It's been going on for over a year, now. This trouble-maker, Monkey, has been causing disharmony in the village. So we've been inviting heroes and warriors from all over China to come and run him out of town. But none of them seem to be strong enough..." Li-Hua looks down at her feet. "Monkey is way too sneaky for them."

Alright, I'm starting to understand now. I seem to have mistaken as a challenger for this 'Monkey' - whoever he is. Li-Hua makes him sound like a lot of trouble. Could this be some kind of sign? Has the mountain's song lead me here to face this Monkey, to beat him? Dad always said that the Mountain always has a plan for its children. I quickly make a prayer under my breath to the Mountain Goddess. Dad had once told me that it was always important to ask the Goddess for victory before a fight.

"If the Mountain feels you are worthy, it and its goddess shall guide you and bring you good fortune," was the lecture my father always gave to me. "As long as you put your faith in the mountains for which is your birth place, no harm can come to you." I was only a child, and I still to this day don't fully understand. However, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Finally, Wing came to a halt, before pushing me in front him. All the villagers are looking at me. I frown, staring through the crowd, looking at my surroundings.

So... where is this 'Monkey' I am supposed to face?

It didn't take long for my question to be answered.

"Well, well... what have we here?" a taunting voice comes from a rooftop behind me. I turn.

Standing on top of the roof, leering down like a gargoyle is a small, impish figure, with wide blue eyes and golden fur. His white teeth are bared into a mischievous grin.

I speak. "Monkey, I presume?"


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble-maker

**Chapter 2: Trouble-maker**

It surprises me as I note that the feared Monkey is not much older than me. Maybe a couple of years older? He's smaller than me, but that might be to do with the fact that he is a monkey and I am cougar. His sand-coloured fur, which catches the light of the sun, glimmers like gold, reminding me of one of my brothers, Cheng, who has the most lovely fur. Monkey's smile is a mischievous one as he looks down at me.

"Monkey, I presume?" I say with restrained politeness. I can sense all the villagers behind me, watching me. They're all anticipating the fight.

Monkey peers down at me, his grin sly. "That's me. And you are?" His tone is taunting, yet I sense the slightest hint of... boredom. I guess he's used to challengers by now.

"My name is Zhuo," I say. "I'm here to fight you."

There is a short pause... and then he burts out laughing.

"You?" he barks, rolling around on the roof with laughter. He points at me, still laughing. "You're here to challenge me?"

I carefully tug at the rim of my hat, pulling it slightly over my eyes to shield my face from the sun as I look up at him. "Yes? Is there a problem with that?"

After he stops laughing, Monkey, a stupid grin still on his face, looks back at the other villagers, who are all staring up at him. "Very funny. Now where's my real challenger? Or is this the best you can get?""

I, for one, am insulted.

"Hey!" I shout up at him. "I'm standing right here!"

Monkey ignores me and turns away from us. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to have a nap. If you find me someone worth fighting, I'll be over here."

Okay, I'm usually not prone to anger, but this was starting to piss me off. Before anyone could stop me, I leap upwards, grabbing the ledge and swinging myself up onto the rooftop. Monkey swings round, a little surprised by this. He aims a punch at me, but I block it with my staff. He aims a second punch, but I dodge. He frowns before smiling again.

"Hmm," he says. "Maybe this could be more interesting than I thought."

I glare at him, still a little angry but also glad he's now taking me seriously.

"Okay," he says, putting up his hands. "I'll make you a deal. If you beat me, I'll leave. But if I win..." He pauses, looking thoughtful. He then glances, his smile widening. "You give me... that!" He points at my staff.

I look at my staff. It had been made for me as a walking stick by my brother Liang. I wouldn't say it was anything really special, but I had grown quite attached to it. Plus, it smelled like the mountain, reminding me of home. However, I needed to agree to this deal to get Monkey to fight. I glance down at the villagers below, all looking up expectantly. I then nod at Monkey. "Deal," I say.

It was just as I said that that Monkey rushes forward at me, jumping up and hitting me in the shoulder with his fist. The blow forces me back, but not far enough back that I fall of the roof. I feel angry that he is fighting so dishonourably, but I don't bother saying anything. Instead, I lung at him, aiming to hit him over the head with staff. He dodges the hit with ease, smiling all the while.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunts before giving a high-pitched laugh. I snarl. I'm starting to lose my cool, but I have to keep calm. It's obvious that he's trying to test my control, and I'm not going to fall for this trick. I take a calming breath before attempting to hit him a second time. Once again, he dodges, and then pulls a silly face at me. "Na-na na na! You can't catch me~" he sings, before turning his back on me. He then runs away, jumping to another rooftop.

"Hey, come back!" I shout, giving chase. The gap between the rooftops are small and jump over easily. Monkey's still running, jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop. I continue to chase him. He's much quicker than I am. At one point, he stops and pulls a second silly face at me. I have to stop and catch my breath, glaring at him. He just laughs. When I start to chase again, he runs off.

It's no good. Even though we cougars are quite quick, monkeys have far better agility. I can't keep this up much longer. I'm too tired. I survey the rooftops, looking Monkey, but I can no longer see him.

Then I realise that I've fallen for another of Monkey's tricks. Unfortunately, it's too late now.

I feel a sharp hit on my back and I fall on my face. I look up to the sound laughing. Monkey grins mischeviously at me.

Dammit! This was his plan all along: to jump me when I was too tired to fight. And I fell right into it...

I stand up, breathing heavily, only to get knocked down again by a second kick. As I look down, I can see some villagers staring up at me with wide eyes, and I lower my head in embarrassment. This is worse than that time Cheng challenged me to a fight in the middle of a swamp. At least at that time my opponent had also been at a disadvantage. I cursed myself a second time when I realised that it had been a mistake to follow Monkey on to the roof. This was _his_ domain, with his rules. I should have remained on the ground. That was the one thing Father had always stressed during training, that it was important when fighting to use your surroundings to your advantage. Now, I was going to lose this fight because I hadn't listened to his advice.

_I'm so stupid,_ I think to myself as I stand up.

"Ready to give up?" Monkey taunts. I feel the rage burning inside again, and slowly stand up, crouching onto all-fours.

I give a snarl at Monkey before pouncing, but he leaps out of the way and jumps to another roof. Putting my staff down, I lunge after him, still on all-fours as I can run faster that way. However, Monkey is not running anymore. As soon as I've landed on the new roof, he jumps at me, trying to kick me in the face. I manage to put my head down quick enough to avoid the blow, but he does manage to kick my hat off of my head. It falls off, and tumbles down the ground, landing among the watching bystanders. Oh well. It was obscuring my vision anyway.

Monkey rushes to attack again and I dodge. He then attacks again. Dodge. And again. Dodge. I note the fact that, even though he is finding it difficult to hit me, he has still managed to hit me more times than I have hit him. I decide that now is the time to take action. As he kicks at me several more times, I quickly take in his fighting style: very acrobatic, makes use of his natural speed, tends to use kicking attacks more than punches, uses his cunning to outwit his enemies. He also seems to very unpredictable. Okay. I get it: he's a monkey. He's making use of all his species' abilities. Perhaps I should do the same. Problem is, my best skill is my speed, but that's worthless here because his natural speed is greater than mine. Physically my species is more powerful but that doesn't really mean anything if I can't even land a hit on this guy.

That's when an idea occurs to me: the reason I haven't been landing any hits isn't just because of Monkey's evasive ability. It's because I haven't even been _trying_ to land a hit. I've been to busy trying to dodge and chasing him about. All I've been doing in this battle so far is _reacting_ to everything he does, meaning that I'm basically allowing him to control my next move. No wonder he's had such a huge advantage on me. I haven't been thinking about what I'm doing, I've just been following his lead, being so _predictable_. I remember something Father once told me.

"When you fight, make sure you fight on your own terms. Don't react. _Act._ Randomize your movements, do something your opponent does not expect. _You_ are in control."

I suppose then it's time to _act_.

As Monkey aims another kick at me, I raise my claw quickly and block the attack. Then I grab his foot and then throw him with all my strength onto another roof. He manages to land on his feet, but looks temporarily stunned. When he breaks out his trance, he leaps back towards me.

Okay, Zhuo. It's time to turn the tables.

As comes back towards me, I turn my back on him and leap to another roof. I look back at him to see him looking at me with a frown. Then he follows, and I run to another rooftop.

I hear him shout at me. "What are you doing? You can't outrun me! I'm much quicker than you!"

_I'm not trying to outrun you_, I think with a smirk. _I just need to make you think I am._

I continue to run, him chasing after me. He's starting to catch-up. I feel him gaining on me.

Perfect.

As I near the edge of another roof, I make it look like I'm about to jump. Monkey leaps into the air, ready to attack. "Tag!" he says. "You're i-"

I swing round and grab his leg before slamming him into the roof. He gives a screech of pain, which makes me flinch. Maybe I used too much force. However, before I can check Monkey for wounds, he's springs up onto his hands and then kicks me in the face. As I'm forced back, I look back up at him.

The smirk is back on Monkey's face, and it annoys me. How can he still be smiling? I notice, though, that the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Using my own trick on me?" he says. "Well, two can play at that game."

Ignoring this, I lunge at him to try and attack, but he dodges quickly out of my line of vision. As I turn to look for him, I notice he's disappeared. I frown and glance over the egde of the roof. Has he gone to ground? Where is he?

Suddenly, I recieve a heavy blow on the back of my head. My vision darkens and I fall forward, going over the edge of the roof head first.

Everything goes dark, and the last thing I hear are a loud chorus of angry shouts.

* * *

_"Ow!"_

_"Zhuo, sit still. I can't help you if you keep squirming."_

_"I know. Sorry, brother." Zhuo looked at Liang as he focussed on his task. He was kneeling down next to her and inspecting her arms, which were covered in cuts and bruises. As he began to bandage her wounds, Zhuo noticed the slightest hints on concern hidden in his expression. "Are... are the wounds bad?" Zhuo asked worriedly._

_Liang glanced at his sister, before giving a kind and reassuring smile. He shook his head gently. "No. None of the wounds are deep or fatal." His smile, however, faltered slightly. "It's just..." He paused, looked down at his sister's injuries. "I just don't understand why."_

_Zhuo tilted her head to one side. "Why what?"_

_Liang gave a resigned sigh. "Why you... push yourself like this." There was a silence between the two before Liang gave another sigh. "You know, Zhuo, no one in the tribe will hold it against you if you decide not to become a warrior."_

_Zhuo blinked in surprised at this comment before quickly looking away. "Well, what else can I do if I don't fight."_

_Liang looked back at Zhuo. "You could train to become a carpenter or blacksmith, like me. Or a healer."_

_Zhuo shook her head at this. "I don't _want_ to be a blacksmith or a healer, though. I want to a fighter."_

_"Is that really what you want though?"_

_Zhuo looked at her brother, again surprised by his words. "Of course I do! I want to protect the tribe, to fight for what's right, like Father, like Mother, like my Grandfather, and like Baojia and Cheng are training to be now. They're warriors." There was a hint of both pride and spite in Zhuo's voice. She loved her family, and was proud that her brothers were growing up to be great fighters. Baojia was already in the royal guard, and Cheng was training everyday so that he might one day carry on their father's legacy. Yet at the same time, she was jealous, and Liang could see it in her eyes. _

_He decided to be blunt. "Zhuo, you don't have to be something you don't want to just to impress Father." As he finished covering Zhuo's wounds, he carefully inspected the bandages before turning his gaze back to his younger sister. "Father will be proud of you no matter what you choose to do with your life."_

_Zhuo stiffened. "No, he won't." The slightest traces of bitterness could be heard in her voice. _

_Liang sighed sadly. "Zhuo..."_

_Zhuo stood up. "Look, I know Father loves me. Or at least, I hope he does... I don't know. What I do know is that whenever he looks at Baojia, or even at Cheng, he justs looks so... happy."_

_Liang nodded slowly at this. "Of course he does. He's proud of them."_

_Zhuo nodded, suddenly feeling a little frustrated. She could feel her eyes becoming watery. "Father never looks at me like that," she muttered. She squinted her eyes, forcing back the tears that were threatening to come. She could feel that urge to cry, but was refusing it its outlet. She wouldn't cry. She _couldn't_ cry. Gathering up all the strength she could within her heart just to stop herself bursting into tears, she turned back to Liang, struggling to keep a strong face. "Look, Liang, I love you. You're my big brother and I know you're worried about me." She paused, trying to keep the lump out of her throat. "But I have to do this. I need something to do with my life. I can't just take a backseat. I want to prove to everyone I'm not weak, that I'm not inferior to Baojia, to Cheng, to _anyone_." Despite her efforts to keep her emotions at bay, she could already feel the first tear emerging, and slowly sliding down her cheek. "I want to show them... that I'm worth something." Another tear._

_Liang stood up, towering over his sister. He then crouching slightly before embracing her, pulling her into a powerful hug. "Oh, Zhuo," he said, shaking his head. That was it. Zhuo couldn't keep up the 'tough guy' act anymore. The tears flowed freely down her face and into her fur. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone," Liang said softly. "You are worth something. You're worth more to me than anything, little sister. I just don't want to see you get hurt."_

_"I know," Zhuo sobbed. She felt pathetic. She was just glad Cheng wasn't hear to shout at her for being a wimp, or Mother who would just make a big fuss. She was especially glad _Father_ wasn't here. She didn't know _how_ he would react if he saw his only daughter crying like a baby. Her father was strange: he could be so passionate and determined, yet at the same time so cold and indifferent. He could change from calm to angry and back again so quickly. Sometimes his emotions were so obvious yet other times you could never tell what he was thinking or feeling at all. He was so unpredictable. Zhuo wondered if she herself was like that, or would become like that. "I just... want to know what I'm supposed to do," she whispered._

_She felt Liang's arms tighten around her. "Do what you want to do, Zhuo. Be your own person," he said softly. "That's all any of us can do."_

* * *

Liang's words rang in my ears as regained consciousness. I can hear voices around me as the darkness fades rom my vision.

"She's coming round!"

"Oh my, she's alive!"

"Someone get Li-Hua!"

"She lived! Oh my goodness!"

"Give her some room!"

What I see when I open my eyes startles me slightly. Around me are several people, the people from the village who had watched the fight between me and Monkey. They are looking down at me, and I feel slightly self-conscious. I hear Li-Hua making her way through the crowd, muttering something and telling people to give me space. I begin to remember what happened before I became unconscious, how I was fighting Monkey, how he disappeared. Then pain, then darkness...

I then notice that my staff is missing and remember that I dropped it during the fight. Monkey must have picked it up and...

I can't even think. I feel so angry and tired...

I suddenly drift back into unconsciousness.

**Author's Note: I know the ending isn't that good, but I wanted to finish this chapter and get it up. So anyway, Zhuo has fought Monkey... what will happen next?**

**I really enjoyed writing the dream-memory sequence for Zhuo. I love writing about her family. I'm hoping to talk more about them in another fanfic. But for now, we can settle for this short scene between Zhuo and her older brother Liang.  
**

**The next chapter might take a while to get out as I've got a lot of work to do and need to do some updates on my other stories. But I'll try and get it out when I can. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. ^^  
**


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